Develop Your Credit and Business At the Same Time

Written by Janet Gershen-Siegel

When you are initially starting to develop your credit and business, your primary step should be merchant or trade credit. You will want to enter into good credit practices – everything from not borrowing too much, to paying off your financial obligations back on schedule, to staying on good terms with your sources of credit.

So the most important thing you can do, which will make the quickest and biggest positive effect, is to pay off your bills in a timely manner or ahead of time, and develop a responsible and favorable payment record.

Starter Vendors

Hence you will need to start a business credit profile and score with starter vendors. These are sometimes referred to as trade accounts or trade lines. Starter vendors are ones who will bring your company preliminary credit even when your firm has no credit, no score, or no trade lines.

Note that the majority of the bigger and better known stores like Staples or Walmart will not give you initial starter credit, so do not even try applying with them.

So here are three vendor accounts that you can use to start to develop your commercial credit. Bear in mind: if they say no initially, keep making an effort!

1. Uline Shipping Supplies

This company offers for sale shipping, packing, and industrial supplies. These include janitorial supplies, shipping boxes, and also material handling products such as hand trucks and dollies. Most importantly, they report to Dun and Bradstreet.

Thus, your company must have a DUNS number before you begin trying to get vendor credit with them. Uline will ask for two references and a bank reference. Your first few orders might have to be prepaid at the start. This is to make sure to get an approval for Net 30 terms.

2. Quill Office Supplies

They market office, packaging, and also cleaning materials. Their products also include toner, office furniture, and even coffee and also snack foods. You can even get your small business’s coffee machine through them.

Quill reports to Dun and Bradstreet. In addition, you must place your initial order before anything else unless your D & B score has already been established. In general, they will put you on a 90 day prepayment timetable. Also, if you order items monthly for three months, they will often approve you for a Net 30 Account.

3. Monopolize Your Marketplace

They sell the “Everything you need to know about Marketing and Business” 10 audio CD set. They report to Experian. This is a true starter account. Upon your check out choose the “4 equal payments of $59.99” option.

Also, your first charge will take place in thirty days. You will also need a bank account, an (Employer Identification Number) EIN, and a deliverable address. Wait 30 – 60 days for this vendor’s reporting to appear on your business credit reports. And if you would like their CD, you can order it there.

Credit and Business – You can Develop Business Credit

Acquiring vendor accounts for business credit implies that you will develop business credit. Building business credit means you are not only capable of getting better terms and funding. Also, you are improving your business, because business credit is an asset.

Once you have over five vendor accounts and they all report with the bigger business credit bureaus, then you can start trying to get store credit. Therefore these three should effortlessly get you started.